Everyone ‘needs’ a degree and student loans are easy to get but hard to dump.

And with no guarantee of a job with that pricey, debt-riddled diploma, that degree is bootless.

Colleges can charge up the gazoo since big gov floats everyone a student loan…and bingo!—what goes up doesn’t come down.

Feeling the burn?

[Clip: “And we listen to young people and this is what young people are telling me. They’re saying, ‘Bernie, how does it happen that we have to end up 30, 50, 80 thousand dollars in debt for the crime of trying to get a decent education.’” Applause!]

That ‘crime’ doesn’t pay. College grads tend bars and clerk at TJ Max.

[Clip: “What I ask of you, and I ask of the American people, is think outside of the box, think outside of the status quo. Take a deep breath.”]

Hey Bern! You want outside the box?

Start with the 4 billion-a-year we send to Israel, add a few hundred billion of the bulging war budget, and use it instead to pay off the existing 1.3 trillion dollar student debt.

Then cap student loans to a low amount per year. Colleges will be forced to compete again, and prices could finally come down.

Did Lincoln free the slaves?

Some say “no”…since college grads are shackled with heavy debt, low-wage jobs, and the ever-decreasing purchasing power of the dollar.

Want to stop renting and buy a house that costs three times as much as it did in the 60’s?

Good luck saving that 20% down while paying high rent and snowballing student debt.

But take heart!

The ‘Middle Class’—out of reach for most—is about to be bailed out! [Clip]

[Clip: “We’re trying to drive tax reform as quickly as we can. I think you know the basic premise behind it, I’m not going to take you through, through what, what we talked about before. You know, again, a question we get asked a lot, so I’ll say it right now. We have to make some basic assumptions right now on where we’re going to end up with, with the brackets, but I’ll, I’ll tell you, based on our assumptions, a typical family earning a hundred thousand dollars with two children that has been a standard deducter, who uses the standard deduction, and continues to use the standard deduction, they can expect a tax cut of about a thousand dollars. That’s where we’re headed, and that’s, that’s, that’s where we’re going to continue to be.”]

Whippee!

That $1000 will go to ObamaCare for ever-increasing premiums.

That’s where millennials ‘are headed’ with more taxes ‘continuing to be.’

[Clip: “You said that you couldn’t guarantee necessarily that no middle-class tax payers would actually pay more taxes under this plan. And because of the details that you were talking about just before that, it is a real possibility.”
“I think what the American people are concerned about is their financial position. I think what they’re concerned about is when they go to work every week, and they get their paycheck at the end of the week, how much do they get to keep? How much goes in their pockets versus how much goes to the government? How much do they get to spend versus how much do they send to the government?”]

That’s a Goldman Sachs boy for you, dodging the question, and the issues facing Millennials.

It’s the fox guarding the hen house, where a ‘Millennial-Nest’ to lay some eggs, is a future no college grad—boxed in between student debt and lousy jobs—will ever see.

There’s a war on Millennials and I’m thinking outside the box.

Stop sending money to Israel, take a chunk out of the war budget, use that money instead to pay off the student debt, and cap the loans.

The more he tried to baffle everyone with Wall Street magic bull manure, the more he tripped over his own lying tongue. He has no known speech impediment, so his stammering is due to something else.

Perhaps it is his legendary arrogance and abrasiveness that got tangled up by a White House journalist who asked a very clear, pointed question based on one of his previous quotes — skewering him in the process.

Cohn the Pointy-headed Con, just couldn’t go ahead and rip her face off like he would a counterparty in a Wall Street financial transaction, at the same time, he had to lie without seeming to lie to answer her question while making it appear to have been a different question.

I think I’ve got it. The Middle Class is going to look forward to an average $1000 in their pocket (if second-hand Obamacare doesn’t take it first) under this Trump ben Goldman tax plan which works out to whopping $83 per month.

Four $83, a family of four can go to the movie theater once a month. Wow! That’ll fix things, won’t it?

But, in the larger picture, Cohn and his partner Goldman-Sachs alumnus Mnuchin is giving Goldman Sachs everything it wants through the Trump administration.

The Trump campaign economic and fiscal agenda has largely morphed into the Goldman Sachs agenda, one with the potential to deliver any number of lavish gifts to the firm that made Cohn obscenely and colossally rich.

I’m afraid America is becoming the United States of Israel and Goldman Sachs. But at least I just saw Cohn squirm a little bit despite knowing the Middle Class is going to get whacked again.

Evil people are in power throughout the world. Rather, Satan is in power. Here in Australia, we are slowly catching up to all the evils the USA has. We are in the middle of a referendum for Gays to get married, and you guessed it !!!…the media is 100% supporting the Gays.

St. Michael, the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our safeguard against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray; and do you, O Prince of the heavenly host, by the power of God cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who wander through the world seeking the ruin of souls.
Amen.

A $1,000 tax cut for a family doing $100K don’t mean squat considering they have a tax bill of about $28K.

It isn’t a fly speck to the $1,200 - $1,400 per month that Obama Care slapped on that same family, with a $5,400 deductable. A mandatory, so-called health care that will never go away.

Yes Trump lied. He signs many executive orders per day without House or Senate knowledge or consent, bombed Syria without House or Senate consent, he can sure as hell take out Obama Care with an executive order . . . but he won’t.

College or military are the only options Jewmerican society will accept for children when they get out of highschool. If you don’t push your children to one or the other, most Jewmericans treat you as a child abuser.

Work is out of the question and a career is not possible without college - so silly Jewmericans are molded to believe.

We have only one real enemy in this world (outside of Satan), and it’s not the DPRK or Iran, it’s Israel itself.

The Zionist Entity demands a tribute of $4 billion a year from its #1 vassal, the US, money that could be much better used right here at home. Among these home uses of this $4 billion/yr. would be a huge reduction of student debt, and even its elimination. College and University tuition could be greatly reduced.

Students shouldn’t be forced to take out such tremendous loans in order to continue their education, and this is where the universities/colleges must come in. Their tuition’s way too high for middle and working class students.

The $4 billion sent as tribute to Israel must end immediately, so that universities and colleges may greatly reduce their tuition rates to a level more amiable to potential students and their parents. We have to completely break away from the Zionist Entity’s tentacles and end the $4 billion tribute before we can provide college and university level education for our children w/o having to take out usurious loans.

Your Video on this topic is right on target, Br. Nat, you said it all in an expert fashion. This student loan business has, indeed, become a crisis .. and it’s all due to the $4 billion/yr tribute to Israel and the extremely high tuition rates of the best institutions of higher learning.

To help you continue your work, Brother, I’m sending you an extra contribution toward your ministry. The residents and employees in the cities you visit need to hear your Sermons, either through videos or personal visits.

“Employers care more about “experience”? What experience would that be exactly? The experience of being laid off continuously one job after another? Not only are college degrees obsolete but so are corporations! You can’t count on either so why waste your time and energy on them?

I have 2 degrees and a TON of various skills and experience. I’ve worked at Fortune 500 and 100 companies all my life. At 51 I was laid off for the 5th time inside of a 10-year span. Know what I’m doing today? Raising livestock and farming with ZERO prior experience at it. Never been more happy in my life.

I’m not making anywhere near the 6 digits I used to but you know what? I don’t have to. It’s not worth all the BS.

If everyone did what I have, the system would implode on itself and that is precisely what it’s about to do. They screwed the pooch and now they can deal with it. They f####d the IRS in the process too. That alone makes my day.﻿”

Israel is supposed to be a homeland for the Jews, where Jews may find protection from terrorism, as every day there are one or more acts of terrorism in Israel.

An important question that needs to be asked about Israel is the question if it is true or not that Israel needs to have continuous terrorism in order for Israel to continue to exist.

If terrorism ceased to continue to exist in Israel and elsewhere, then there would no longer be a justification for Israel to continue to exist, as the Jews would no longer need a homeland where they may find protection from terrorism.

Also if the Palestinians and Arabs would manifest continuous peaceful behavior, then Israel would then NOT have any good justification to continue to deny many of their demands.

Is it possible therefore that somehow Israel sponsors the continuing terrorism, so that Israel may continue to exist?

Without the continuous existence of anti-Semitism and terrorism, the rate of assimilation of Jews away from Judaism would be much greater than it is today, and therefore there is this Zionist need for anti-Semitism and terrorism to continue to exist.

He got fired and the topic is what you’ve covered before and perhaps you can do a follow-up video. He writes:

“Many, possibly even most, Jewish organizations in the United States openly state that they represent the interests of the state of Israel. The crowd stoking fears of Iran is largely Jewish and is, without exception, responsive to the frequently expressed desires of the self-defined Jewish state to have the United States initiate hostilities.

“This often means supporting the false claim that Tehran poses a serious threat against the U.S. as a pretext for armed conflict. Shouldn’t that “Jewish” reality be on the table for consideration when one is discussing the issue of war versus peace in America?

“When all is said and done the punishment that has been meted out to me and Valerie Plame proves my point. The friends of Israel rule by coercion, intimidation and through fear. If we suffer through a catastrophic war with Iran fought to placate Benjamin Netanyahu many people might begin to ask “Why?”

“But identifying the real cause would involve criticism of what some American Jews have been doing, which is not only fraught with consequences, but is something that also will possibly become illegal thanks to Congressional attempts to criminalize such activity. We Americans will stand by mutely as we begin to wonder what has happened to our country.

“And some who are more perceptive will even begin to ask why a tiny client state has been allowed to manipulate and bring ruin on the world’s only super power.

“Unfortunately, at that point, it will be too late to do anything about it.”

If Americans Knew: Israeli Ambassador Pushes Potential War to Elite U.S. Powerbrokers

By Alison Weir and Kathryn Shihadah

A select assembly of Washington D.C. heavy hitters recently attended a Rosh Hashanah event at which Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Ron Dermer discussed alleged dangers posed by Iran, Syria, and Russia. In some places Dermer appeared to be laying out a rationale for another Israeli war.

According to JTA (Jewish Telegraphic Agency), the event is an annual affair “to which the embassy invites the U.S. Jewish leadership.”

Dermer’s speeches typically seem intended to create a feeling of shared concern for Israel, saying, for example, “Let us all raise a glass and toast the fact that the Jewish people are voiceless no more. Israel has provided us with a shofar, with a sovereign voice among the nations.”

Dermer himself was born and raised in the U.S.

Among those attending the invitation-only gathering this year were approximately 20 journalists, many connected to top U.S. print and broadcast media (including Wolf Blitzer, Eli Lake, Cliff May); numerous government officials and politicians (Congressmen, diplomats, White House insiders, senior staff, political operatives); and heads of major U.S. national organizations, philanthropists, and influential religious leaders (see list with biographical details below).

Dermer’s speech began on a convivial note – “Remember, on Rosh Hashana, you’re allowed to eat, drink and even laugh”– but soon became serious as he gave dire warnings about alleged dangers Israel faces, and the need for Americans to help.

Iran was the main villain to be protected against, with Syria and Russia allegedly dangerous abettors that also need to be addressed.

“The past year has posed many critical challenges for Israel,” Dermer intoned. “Foremost among those challenges has been the rising power of Iran.”

(This is very much in line with Israeli thinking; Israel’s Jerusalem Post newspaper recently reported: “Iran is the primary target of the Mossad’s actions, which number in the hundreds and thousands each year.” Netanyahu reportedly calls the Mossad Israel’s “synchronized fist.”)

Dermer claimed that the Iran deal had been a “double jackpot” for Iran (many U.S. analysts disagree, including some Israel partisans and top U.S. generals). Dermer charged that the deal had enabled Iran to spend “much of the past year consolidating its power across the Middle East.”

Next came the not-so-subtle call to action.

“Israel hopes that the coming weeks will bring about a dramatic change in the trajectory of that deal that will ultimately either fix it or cancel it,” Dermer said, making clear what was required of Americans who care about Israel.

Dermer also focused on Syria, speaking of a potential Iranian “terror front against Israel” being established in Syria.

“Iran has been feverishly working to win the spoils of the imminent defeat of ISIS,” Dermer said, suggesting that such a defeat could be harmful to Israel.

Dermer’s statements reflect Israeli concern about U.S. efforts to end the war in Syria, leaving Russia, Assad – and by extension Hezbollah – in place. As JTA explains:

The Netanyahu government has been wary of what the end-game could be of U.S. efforts to end the war in Syria.

There is a concern among Israelis — articulated most often by the defense minister, Avigdor Liberman — that the Trump administration might defer to Russia, which is allied with the Assad regime.

Russia’s Assad alliance means it is in a de facto alliance with Iran and its Lebanese ally, Hezbollah, because they also are allied with the Assad regime.

Recent ongoing efforts in the U.S. to force the Trump administration to avoid diplomatic ties with Russia (despite the paucity of evidence for the accusations) may help remove that obstacle to keeping the U.S. in Syria.

Dermer said that Netanyahu had set “red lines” regarding Syria and that Israel will enforce them:

“Israel will act to prevent Iran from supplying game changing weapons to Hezbollah. And Israel will act to prevent Iran from establishing another terror front against Israel in Syria.”

Israel has been stating these red lines for several years, and its escalating sabre rattling suggests that it may be planning another of its wars.

Derfner states: “By continuing to bomb Syrian arms destined for Hezbollah – which Israel has admittedly done nearly 100 times in the last five years – as well as periodically killing Hezbollah and other pro-Syrian fighters along with the occasional Iranian general, Israel is making the next very, very ugly war in the north a self-fulfilling prophecy.”

[A self-fulfilling prophecy is a prediction that directly or indirectly causes itself to become true, by the very terms of the prophecy itself, due to positive feedback between belief and behavior.

Ever since the Scribes and Pharisee Rabbis self-assumed the prophetic mantle of the Holy Spirit, the delusional Jews believe themselves to be collectively God with souls of directly divine substance.

In their crazy, blind and deaf spiritual tribal hubris, the hard-right Zionist Israelis believe they are in fact following the voice of God when they talk to themselves and adoringly listen to Rabbinic babble and folk-tales. — KJ]

A recent article in the very pro-Israel Atlantic (editor Jeffrey Goldberg served in the Israeli army) states:

“[F]or nearly two years now, Israeli military and intelligence officials have been warning every American official who comes through Tel Aviv and Jerusalem that the next war is coming.

“Israel has methodically prepared its allies—and most especially the Americans— for a very, very ugly war on the horizon.”

These wars have created massive carnage and suffering. even the Atlantic acknowledges that the 2006 Israeli assault “leveled entire neighborhoods in Beirut.”

While Dermer tried to sell his audience on the claim that Israel is at existential risk, Derfner points out:

“The idea that Hezbollah, Iran and Syria are itching for a war with Israel, that they’re just waiting to attack, is a delusion.

“Absent Israeli provocation, such an attack would have no parallel in the world or in history.”

Nevertheless, some influential media reports largely purvey Israeli spin, and it’s likely that Dermer’s speech was intended to influence the many journalists at his reception to take a similar line.

As a Foreign Policy article reports: “When it comes to Washington, Israel’s task is to locate or induce a more coherent American strategy to counter advance of the Iranians in the Levant.”

This is particularly important, since some Trump officials don’t always march to the Israeli tune. U.S. National Security Advisor General H.R. McMaster recently told Israeli officials that Hezbollah was not a terrorist group. (Other reports claim he has called Israel an occupying power.)

Another point Dermer made to his audience was the value of U.S. strategies to help Israel bring some Arab countries into an alliance against Iran.

Dermer called the new allignment a “silver lining” and said he was “deeply grateful” to the current administration for “methodically working to advance a serious process that can move the entire region forward” – i.e. in Israel’s direction.

Dermer is no doubt pleased that, as in the past, the U.S. negotiator for Israel-Palestine is an Israel partisan; he called for applause for Jason Greenblatt, who he noted was present – one of the many “senior officials from all three branches of the U.S. government” attending the event.

ATTENDEES

Jewish Insider provided a list of opinion makers spotted at the event, which included both liberals and conservatives, members of both political parties, and representatives of diverse positions along the pro-Israel spectrum. Below is the list, with added information on each.

We have listed each individual under one category below, although in many cases they would fit into several sectors given the revolving door that often exists between media, government, and pro-Israel organizations.

Extensive and comprehensive list of Attendees: Journalists/Media Pundits; Government, Politics; Think Tanks, NGOs, Funders; AND last but not least,

In 2005 Ayalon received the Brandeis award from the Jewish Community in Baltimore.

He is the founder of “Truth About Israel,” an Israeli organization known for its short videos, which is registered as a nonprofit, tax-deductible organization in the U.S., and is also present in Singapore.

(We have not yet been able to find the organization’s 990 tax form, which suggests that it’s registered under a different name.)

Yarden Golan, Chief of Staff at the Israeli Embassy.

Ron Prosor, former Israeli ambassador to the UN.

Sarah Abonyi, Special Projects Manager for the Ambassador of Israel. From New Mexico.

Miriam Smallman, Director of Media Relations at Israeli embassy.

Michael Wilner, A native New Yorker who is the Washington bureau chief and White House correspondent for Israel’s The Jerusalem Post.

I’m glad you supported Giraldi; however, he names names and he wrote, which I think is important:

“Would I do something different if I were to write my article again today? Yes. I would have made clearer that I was not writing about all or most American Jews, many of whom are active in the peace movement and, like my good friend Jeff Blankfort and Glenn Greenwald, even figure among the leading critics of Israel.

“My target was the individuals and Jewish “establishment” groups I specifically named, that I consider to be the activists for war. And I refer to them as “Jews” rather than neoconservatives or Zionists as some of them don’t identify by those political labels, while to blame developments on Zios or neocons is a bit of an evasion in any event.”

I think there are individual Jews including Blankfort and Greenwald who act righteously; the bad ones are the Pharisees of the 21st century, the ones in positions of power who have forsaken God.

Quote: “This communal justice was not to be for the Israelites’ own sake alone. The ultimate purpose for justice in Israel was for it to be a lead to world-wide justice. Even in the story of Israel’s initial election in Genesis 18, a major reason given for it is to bring about “justice and right” for all humankind.”

In failing God’s will, the unjust Israel will now face God’s judgment. We don’t have the power to stop wars; but we can speak up for justice and remind people what is righteous conduct before God.

The tragedy is that so many Jews and also gentiles have separated themselves from God.

A quick update on the young woman belonging to an Arizona Orthodox Christian parish who was critically wounded in the Las Vegas massacre — she is off of her breathing tube, moving around the bed, but her speaking is very limited.

For all who prayed for her, thank you and God bless you. Please continue your prayers for her fullest healing and recovery.

From the Orthodox priest in Las Vegas, there were six young parishioners at the concert and by God’s grace they are all survivors, and weren’t wounded.

However, they went through a war zone, seeing people wounded and killed, trampled and run over by vehicles.

They need our prayers, as do all the victims and people of Las Vegas, and Lord have mercy on us all.

We should also keep in remembrance that this horror is a daily living nightmare in Palestine and much of the Middle East thanks to the United States of Israel and Goldman Sachs.

My name is Jeremiah and like so many Christians today, especially those in my younger generation, I became disillusioned with this thing that people call church.

I felt burned out and frustrated with the concert-style of Sunday morning evangelical services and longed for something deeper.

I spent several years on worship teams and doing some teaching, but I realized that I’m simply not an entertainer (which is an unspoken demand and it frankly helps if you want people to come back next Sunday).

So, I set out on a journey to find a church that doesn’t make me feel like I’m striving against something inside of me at the end of the day.

The purpose of this blog was to be a journal during my search for a church that met a number of criteria that I had (loving, open, theologically deep and accurate, not entertainment driven, community focused, one in which I can utilize my abilities without burning out, etc).

My journey landed me in the Eastern Orthodox Church, of which I am now officially a communicant. I honestly didn’t think I would actually become Orthodox. However, in Orthodoxy, I have found what I was looking for to a greater extent than I ever thought possible.

On Christian Pacifism

The international policy of our country is one of the few political issues to which I am attentive.

Every election cycle, I analyze the candidates’ positions toward other countries and look for the one who seems to be most peaceful.

The options usually leave me wanting as I listen to candidates argue about their own ability to outspend the others on military expenditures and warfare. It is quite disturbing.

Yet, I am not a pacifist. While in my 20’s, I was one, but I could not hold that position after becoming Orthodox and learning more about Christian thought and beliefs over the past 2,000 years.

THE CASE FOR CHRISTIAN PACIFISM

Not all pacifists are Christians, so I will not be addressing the various philosophical arguments that other forms of pacifism make. Instead, this will be written from a Christian perspective.

Defining our terms is always useful when entering into any kind of discussion that can become difficult. I have chosen Ted Grimsrud’s definition of pacifism, which comes from the book A Pacifist Way of Knowing: John Howard Yoder’s Nonviolent Epistemology:

Hence, “pacifism” is more than simply approving of peace, which everyone in some sense would do, it is the conviction that the commitment to peace stands higher than any other commitment.

Such a definition succinctly states the pacifist’s case, and will help me state my own. Some of the scriptural passages commonly quoted in pacifism include:

But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the selfish. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful. (Luke 6:35-36)

And what is probably the most pivotal passage, at least it was for me when I was a pacifist:

“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist one who is evil. But if any one strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also; and if any one would sue you and take your coat, let him have your cloak as well; and if any one forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. (Matt. 5:38-41)

Pacifists also point to the example of Christ’s life: His refusal to become a political messiah and His meekness when led to trial and hanged upon the cross at Golgotha.

THE CASE AGAINST CHRISTIAN PACIFISM

St. Cyril the Enlightener of the Slavs was approached one day by some Christians who were facing opposition from [Muslim Saracens, as they were known in those days-Kj].

They mentioned the passage from Matthew about turning the other cheek, and wanted to know if such a statement from our Lord prevented any Christian of a good conscience from serving in the military.

His enlightened response is useful:

“If two commandments were written in one law and given to men for fulfilling, which man would be a better follower of the law: The one who fulfilled one commandment or the one who fulfilled both?’

The Saracens replied: “Undoubtedly, he who fulfills both commandments.”

St. Cyril continued: “Christ our God commands us to pray to God for those who persecute us and even do good to them, but He also said to us, ‘Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends’ (John 15:13).

“That is why we bear the insults that our enemies cast at us individually and why we pray to God for them. However, as a society, we defend one another and lay down our lives, so that the enemy would not enslave our brethren, would not enslave their souls with their bodies, and would not destroy them in both body and soul.” (From the Prologue of Ochrid)

Pacifism utilizes a handful of scriptural passages and magnifies a particular understanding of them above and beyond everything else written.

When the commitment to peace stands higher than any other commitment, even higher than laying down one’s life to protect others, things have become unbalanced.

St. Cyril in the above quote is essentially stating, “If someone strikes you on the cheek, turn the other. That is fulfilling one gospel commandment.

“However, if someone is striking your neighbor and you are capable of defending your neighbor, even at the risk of your own life, then do so. For then you are fulfilling another gospel commandment.” Of course, a nonviolent approach should be attempted before one of violence.

However, there are some people in this world who refuse to be reasoned with and will not cease from committing violent acts unless they are forcibly stopped.

SCRIPTURAL SUPPORT

In Luke, we see many people approach John the Baptist, asking how they should amend their lives to prepare for the coming kingdom of God.

Soldiers also asked him, “And we, what shall we do?” The Forerunner did not say, “Quit the army, for one cannot serve God and wield the sword.”

Rather, he said to them, “Rob no one by violence or by false accusation, and be content with your wages.” (3:14)

In other words, “Don’t use your position and power as a soldier to oppress others.”

St. Paul writes,

[Rulers in authority are] God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain; he is the servant of God to execute his wrath on the wrongdoer. Therefore one must be subject, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience. (Rom. 13:4-5)

And in another place,

He said to them, “But now, let him who has a purse take it, and likewise a bag. And let him who has no sword sell his mantle and buy one… And they said, “Look, Lord, here are two swords.” And he said to them, “It is enough.” (Luke 22:36,38)

There are multiple centurions (military leaders) in the New Testament who are practically deemed to be saints, yet there is no hint that they have forsaken their military duties (Matt. 8:5-13, Acts 10).

Additionally, there are a multitude of battles in the Old Testament that God condones.

HISTORICAL SUPPORT

Some modern Christians suppose that the early Christians were all pacifists and that did not change until the time of Constantine, when church and state became much friendlier with one another.

However, this idea fails the test of even a casual glance at history.

I wish I had recorded the name of every pre-Constantine soldier who died as a martyr for Christ that I have read about.

There are many! None of these martyrs died because they converted to Christianity and wanted to leave the army for pacifism’s sake.

Those who served in the Roman Army were expected to honor the Roman gods because it was assumed that the Roman gods were giving the Romans victory in battle.

When a soldier refused to burn incense or make some small sacrifice to the gods, it was seen as an insult to the gods and that man was believed to be endangering the military.

The actual enforcement of this rule of sacrifice varied, but each time it was enforced, a multitude of Christian soldiers were killed.

The early Church saw no conflict with a man serving in his nation’s military, only for a man acting violently for his own advantage, or because his ego had been damaged, or for any other self-focused motive.

SUMMARY

We as Christians are called to bear insults, reproach, and violence against us without retaliation. However, non-violence is not an absolute rule.

When it comes to protecting others, or preserving peace in a society, sometimes forceful means are necessary. It is sadly part of living in a fallen world.

Additionally, it is my opinion that women and children who are being attacked by men should not hesitate to do what it takes to make their situation less dangerous.

Courage and valor have been Christian virtues since the early Church through today, and when we sacrifice our own safety for the sake of helping someone else, we are fulfilling the Gospel command.

Extreme pacifism results in a disintegration of spiritual courage. C.S. Lewis, who opposed Christian pacifism, said something that I think can be applied here:

“In a sort of ghastly simplicity we remove the organ and demand the function. We make men without chests and expect of them virtue and enterprise. We laugh at honour and are shocked to find traitors in our midst. We castrate and bid the geldings be fruitful.”

(The Abolition of Man)

With all of that said, I still support political candidates who desire peace (if any can be found). The wars that America launches are largely motivated by imperialism and greed.

In no way are we Christians called to support such things. However, we must be careful not to swing in the opposite direction and throw away truth because we witness acts of violence committed with corrupt motives.

First off, what the h*ll is Gary Cohn of Goldman Sachs doing in the White House?! Was he hold up in some isolated little pool in the swamp when Trump allegedly claimed he’d drain that swamp?

So Brother Nathanael, you wouldn’t buy the argument that the universities are greedless, reasonable, fair, institutions struggling to survive and doing their best to keep the cost of an education down?